What do your prayers sound like at this time of year? Please God, make time stand still so I can get ready
for Christmas. Please God, help me find a parking spot at the mall. Or, more seriously, Please God, turn this Christmas chaos into something calm.

Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and hope. It doesn’t mean that all longings are realized, though.

And even as the story of Jesus begins with the angel announcing the birth
of the Saviour to Mary and the world, everyone in the story is given a voice. And those voices are heard in five prayers, traditionally called “A Pentad of Prayers.” Five prayers named after the Latin word for the start of each prayer.

The Fiat mihi - Let it be with me ...
The Magnificat - My soul magnifies ...
The Benedictus - Blessed be the Lord ...
The Gloria in excelsis - Glory to God in the highest ...
The Nunc dimittis - Now dismiss your servant ...

Which prayer will guide you through this season? Let’s find out, together.

The Fiat Mihi

Discussion notes
Today we are talking about mystery and how we can say to God, “Let me…”

The Magnificat

Discussion notes
Today we look at the Magnificat - Mary's prayer of prophecy for who this child will become and all that he will accomplish. It is also one of the great protest songs of history.

Bonus Material

What beauty have I enabled in the world? What stories around me do I get to celebrate even if they are not my own? But also what injustice and oppression have I enabled by not standing up for what is right. What responsibility do I have for the problems I allow?

The Benedictus

Discussion Notes
Today we are looking at Zechariah’s prayer - The Benedictus - and talking about how God meets us in our fears and how we can move forward.

Bonus Material

Every year at Christmas I work hard to find an angle that helps me acknowledge the deep complexity of this season. That fact that many people are having a hard time and often seasons of joy make all of that harder. May we all be kind in our celebrations this Christmas.

The Gloria in Excelsis

Christmas Eve

Bonus Material

Let’s talk about December 25th. Where does this particular holy day come from and why the fact that it has its roots in the Sol Invictus celebration is actually a beautiful reminder of the truth at the heart of the Christian story.

Christmastide

Bonus Material

The 12 days of Christmas might seem like an anachronism but they are actually a good reminder to slow down and take the time to really let things sink in. Slow is beautiful.